n the consent of his or her family must still be given. Ones family must be aware of his or her wishes about organ donation. Jeffery Prottas states in his book, The Most Useful Gift, Willingness to donate ones own organs is relevant to actual donation, however, only if that decision is communicated to ones family(55). A study done by Prottas and Batten, in 1991, revealed 90% of respondents approve of organ donation, but, only 46% of those have discussed it with their families. And, only 53% would donate the organs of a relative who had not discussed the issue(Prottas 56) Communication is a huge factor in organ donation. Merely signing a donor card is not enough. One must discuss the issue with family members.The lists of people waiting for donated organs are not getting shorter. New names are added each day. Me must make a decision about organ donation, and make our families aware of our wishes. One organ, tissue and eye donation may help between 200 and 400 people(www.core.org 11 Nov 99). Organ and tissue donation not only saves lives; it greatly improves the quality of some peoples lives.Twelve people on that list will die today. Picture the name of a loved one on that list. Wouldnt you hope and pray, that someone, in his or her death had agreed to donate that heart or liver your loved one needed to continue to live? We may not be able to help today, or tomorrow, but someday, although it may be sad, our death could give another life. ...
